Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (The Starcatchers)
by Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson
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Book Summary Information
Author: Dave Barry, Ridley PearsonIllustrator: Greg Call
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2007-10-23
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 496
Publisher: Disney Editions
Book Reviews of Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (The Starcatchers)
Book Review: Anti-climactically Climactic...
Summary: 3 Stars
The first two volumes in this series caught me off guard with their freshness, originality, and that certain sense of whimsy that most of the great fairy stories tend to radiate. They are, and remain, far superior reads to the third and presumably final installment, "Peter and the Secret of Rundoon."
The strengths of the writing remain the adept characterizations, particularly where Peter's little tribe of Lost Boys are concerned this go-around, as well as the pacing; Barry and Pearson are more than competent at weaving multiple plot threads together, tapestry-like, which is all the more reason for my feeling a bit let down after finishing this one.
For starters, and without attempting to give away too much of the plot (a thing that I despise when reading reviews here and elsewhere!), the ending seemed almost an afterthought, with the real climax occuring several chapters before the final pages turned. While the previously mentioned Lost Boys thread was neatly tied up (although, again, perhaps a bit too quickly), how Neverland comes to be the place that we know it in Barrie's original tale (and the subsequent, excellent volume by Geraldine McCaughrean, 'Peter Pan in Scarlet,). Perhaps, given the situation regarding the immense quantity of starstuff present on the island, we are left to infer that, at some future point, the island, lagoon, and what not are finally catapulted into some time-space nexus, lodging just next to that second star to the right...but we are left with nary a clue as to whether or not this might be. Maybe such a question will be answered in a subsequent volume.
But the real bone to pick comes from the mouth (?) of Lord Ombra himself. Initially delighted at the return of this mysterious, horrifying creature, it's as if he's gotten the wind kicked out of his sails in this story. All of his familiar chills and horrors accompany him, but he someow seems less threatening, particularly when he's spouting off esoteric starstuff origin-stories.
***SPOILER
When Ombra states that mankind's very existence is due to the leaking starstuff in the universe, he attributes the existence of humanity to a blind and random accidental process not much better than Darwinian evolution. Such theorizing is not uncommon from the mouths of some of history's most despicable tyrants that have likewise used men (and women) to get whatever they want. But the fact that this is presented and then subsequently remains unchallenged lends truth to Ombra's statements. There is never any other explanation given, not by the Starcatchers, not by the mysterious beings of light that Ombra and his cadre are said to be locked in eternal struggle with...not anybody.
So, if these things are true, why do any of the acts of heroism matter? Why do our heroes bother at all? Even the spacey dualism that's presented as a representation of the age-old struggle between good and evil falls flat on its face here because of this, and lacks real gravity as the story progresses as a result.
As I stated earlier, I feel more than a bit let down by this installment. It remains my hope that the authors, fine wordsmiths that they ordinarily are, are cooking up a much more satisfactory resolution to the ongoing story of the boy who never grew up.
Summary of Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (The Starcatchers)
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